This is a new application for a Senior Scientist Research and Mentorship Award (K05). The applicant, Kenneth J. Sher, Curators'Professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of Missouri-Columbia, proposes to provide a period of research mentoring to three outstanding, tenure-track scientists in his Department. Two of the proposed mentees, Denis McCarthy (a clinical psychologist) and Bruce Bartholow (a social neuroscientist) are currently working in the alcohol research area but have yet to receive R01 funding. A primary mentoring objective is to assistant both Drs. McCarthy and Bartholow to advance to this next stage of their career. The third proposed mentee, Douglas Steinley (a quantitative psychologist) is new to the alcohol research area but has made a commitment to alcohol research as a primary area of application to his basic methodology research and intends to prepare an application for a Mentored Quantitative Research Career Development Award (K25) under the tutelage of the applicant. For all applicants, mentoring goals involve providing guidance and support with respect to grantsmanship and development of mentees'research programs and also on more general professional development. Particularly attention will be given to working with mentees on their own effectiveness as mentors to graduate students and postdoctoral trainees. With respect to his research plan, the applicant plans to continue to pursue a broad research program that seeks to characterize core etiological processes in alcoholism with particular emphasis on understanding the life course of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) in the context of co-occurring psychopathology and human development. Using existing data sets and data sets currently under construction, the applicant proposes to continue research on the etiology, natural history, and consequences of pathological alcohol endorsement. Particular emphasis is placed on the analyses of prospective panel and event-based data that provide novel opportunities to study core developmental processes related to alcohol use, alcohol problems, and alcohol dependence in a highly refined and nuanced way that incorporates both contextual information and consideration of individual differences.